Belt guard for a vacuum cleaner

ABSTRACT

A vacuum cleaner includes a nozzle defining a chamber, a suction source in fluid communication with the nozzle and operable to generate an airflow through the nozzle, and an agitator rotatably supported within the chamber. The vacuum cleaner further includes a belt, a drive member drivingly connected to the agitator by the belt, and a belt guard surrounding at least a portion of the agitator at an interface between the agitator and the belt, the belt guard partitioning the chamber into a first section and a second section. The belt guard includes an aperture extending from the second section to the first section to permit air to flow from the second section to the first section.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to vacuum cleaners, and more particularly to vacuum cleaners having a belt-driven agitator.

BACKGROUND

Rotary agitators are commonly incorporated into vacuum cleaner nozzles in order to agitate dust and dirt out of a surface to be cleaned. Many of these rotary agitators are driven by a belt that transmits power to the agitator from an electric motor or pneumatic turbine. In order to protect the belt from being unseated or damaged, a belt guard may be provided to cover the interface between the belt and the pulley. However, conventional belt guards may obstruct airflow and interfere with the suction performance of the nozzle.

SUMMARY

The invention provides, in one aspect, a vacuum cleaner including a nozzle defining a chamber, a suction source in fluid communication with the nozzle and operable to generate an airflow through the nozzle, and an agitator rotatably supported within the chamber. The vacuum cleaner further includes a belt, a drive member drivingly connected to the agitator by the belt, and a belt guard surrounding at least a portion of the agitator at an interface between the agitator and the belt, the belt guard partitioning the chamber into a first section and a second section. The belt guard includes an aperture extending from the second section to the first section to permit air to flow from the second section to the first section.

Other features and aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vacuum cleaner.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a base assembly of the vacuum cleaner of FIG. 1, including a belt guard according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the base assembly of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of the base assembly of FIG. 2.

Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary vacuum cleaner 10. The illustrated vacuum cleaner 10 is an upright vacuum cleaner 10 including a base assembly 14 and a handle assembly 18 pivotally coupled to the base assembly 14. The base assembly 14 is movable along a surface to be cleaned, such as a carpeted or hard-surface floor. The handle assembly 18 extends from the base assembly 14 and allows a user to move and manipulate the base assembly 14 along the surface. The handle assembly 18 is also movable relative to the base assembly 14 between an upright position (illustrated in FIG. 1) and an inclined position (not shown).

The handle assembly 18 includes a maneuvering handle 22 having a grip 26 for a user to grasp and maneuver the vacuum cleaner 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the maneuvering handle 22 is coupled to a wand 30, and the maneuvering handle 22 and the wand 30 are removable together as a unit. The wand 30 may be used to clean above-floor surfaces (e.g., stairs, drapes, corners, furniture, etc.). An accessory tool 34 (e.g., a crevice tool, an upholstery tool, a pet tool, etc.) may be detachably coupled to the handle assembly 18 for storage and may be selectively coupled to the wand 30 for specialized cleaning

With continued reference to FIG. 1, a canister 38 is supported by the handle assembly 18 and includes a separator 42 and a dirt cup 46. The separator 42 removes dirt particles from an airflow drawn into the vacuum cleaner 10 which are then collected by the dirt cup 46. The separator 42 may be a dual-stage cyclonic separator (not shown) with a plurality of second stage cyclones and a single first stage cyclone. In other embodiments, other separators can be used, such as single-stage cyclonic separators, filter bags, etc. The canister 38 may be removable from the handle assembly 18 to facilitate emptying the dirt particles from the dirt cup 46.

The vacuum cleaner 10 further includes a motor 50 (FIG. 4) contained within a motor housing 54 (FIG. 1) and a suction source (not shown) such as an impeller fan assembly driven by the motor 50. The illustrated motor housing 54 connects the handle assembly 18 and the base assembly 14. The motor 50 selectively receives power from a power source (e.g., a cord for plugging into a source of utility power, a battery, etc.) to generate the suction airflow through the vacuum cleaner 10.

Now referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the base assembly 14 includes a suction nozzle or floor nozzle 58 having an upper portion 62 and a lower portion 66 that collectively define a chamber 70. Air and debris may be drawn into the chamber 70 through an elongate inlet opening 74 in the lower portion 66. In the illustrated embodiment, a plurality of cross bars 78 are positioned across the opening 74 inhibiting ingress of electrical cords and other objects into the opening; however, in other embodiments, the cross bars 78 may be omitted. After entering the chamber 70, the air and debris is drawn through a nozzle outlet 82 of the floor nozzle 58 that fluidly communicates with the canister 38.

The base assembly 14 further includes a pair of rear wheels 86 and a pair of forward wheels 90 spaced from the rear wheels 86 and located generally adjacent the inlet opening 74. The wheels 86, 90 facilitate movement of the base assembly 14 along the surface to be cleaned. In addition, the forward wheels 90 assist in positioning the inlet 74 of the floor nozzle 58 at a desired height above the surface to be cleaned.

With reference to FIG. 3, a generally cylindrical agitator or brushroll 94 is rotatably supported at its ends within the nozzle chamber 70. The agitator 94 includes an array of bristle tufts 98 or other protrusions that may extend through the opening 74 to agitate the surface to be cleaned. In addition, the illustrated agitator 94 has grooves 102 spaced along its length that receive portions of the respective cross bars 78.

The agitator 94 is rotatably driven by a first belt 106 that receives power from a drive member (e.g., the motor 50) via a pulley 110. A second belt 114 transmits power from an output shaft 118 of the motor 50 to the pulley 110 (FIG. 4). The motor 50 is configured to drive both the suction source and the agitator 94. In other embodiments, the pulley 110 and the agitator 94 may be driven by a separate motor, an air turbine, or any other suitable drive means.

With reference to FIGS. 2, 3, and 5, the interface between the first belt 106 and the agitator 94 (i.e., where the first belt 106 wraps around the agitator 94) is covered by a belt guard 122 that inhibits objects or debris contacting the belt 106 during operation of the vacuum cleaner 10 (FIG. 2). The belt guard 122 includes an upper or first portion 126 (FIG. 3) and a lower or second portion 130 (FIG. 5) that cooperate to surround at least a portion of the agitator 94. As shown in FIG. 3, the first portion 126 may be supported by the upper portion 62 of the nozzle 58, and the second portion 128 may be supported by the lower portion 66 of the nozzle 58. In the illustrated embodiment, the upper portion 126 and lower portion 130 cooperate to substantially surround the agitator 94. Each of the portions 126, 130 includes first and second spaced walls 134, 138 between which the belt 106 extends. In the illustrated embodiment, the upper portion 126 of the belt guard 122 is integrally formed as a single piece with the upper portion 62 of the nozzle 58, and the lower portion 66 of the belt guard 122 is integrally formed as a single piece with the lower portion 66 of the nozzle 58. In other embodiments, the belt guard 122 may be formed separately from the nozzle 58 and subsequently assembled with the nozzle 58. In yet another alternative, instead of forming upper and lower portions, the belt guard may include first and second spaced walls 134, 138 forming a left portion and right portion

Referring again to FIG. 2, the belt guard 122 generally divides the chamber 70 into a first section 142 and a second section 146. In some embodiments, the first section 142 has a width 150 greater than half an overall width 154 of the nozzle 58, and the second section 146 has a width 158 less than half of the overall width 154 of the nozzle 58. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the width 150 of the first section 142 is greater than or equal to two-thirds of the overall width 154 of the nozzle 58, and the width 158 of the second section 146 is less than or equal to one-third of the overall width 158 of the nozzle 58. In other embodiments, the first and second sections 142, 146 may have any width 150, 158, depending on the relative position of the belt guard 122.

In the illustrated embodiment, the first section 142 is adjacent to and in direct fluid communication with the suction opening or nozzle outlet 82, whereas the second section 146 is separated from the nozzle outlet 82 by the belt guard 122. Best illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the belt guard 122 has an aperture or window 162 that extends through the first and second walls 134, 138 in the lower portion 130 of the belt guard 122 to provide an airflow passage through the belt guard 122 (e.g., from the second section 146 to the first section 142) so that the second section 146 is in communication with the outlet 82 through the aperture 162. Thus, the aperture 162 allows for a suction airflow along the full width 154 of the floor nozzle 58. Alternatively, the second section 146 may be adjacent to and in direct fluid communication with the nozzle outlet 82, with the first section 142 in communication with the outlet 82 through the aperture 162.

In operation, the motor 50 drives the fan assembly to generate an airflow through the vacuum cleaner 10. The airflow enters the floor nozzle 58 through the inlet opening 74 and flows into both the first and second sections 142, 146 of the chamber 70. As the airflow is drawn towards the suction opening 82, air passes from the second section 146 into the first section 142 through the aperture 162 in the belt guard 122. The airflow and any debris entrained therein then travels through the suction opening 82 and into the separator 42. After the separator 42 filters or otherwise cleans the airflow, the cleaned airflow is directed out of the canister 38 and into the motor housing 54 (e.g., via an airflow channel extending through the handle assembly 18). The cleaned airflow is ultimately exhausted back into the environment through air outlet openings 166.

Various features of the invention are set forth in the following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A vacuum cleaner comprising: a nozzle defining a chamber; a suction source in fluid communication with the nozzle and operable to generate an airflow through the nozzle; an agitator rotatably supported within the chamber; a belt; a drive member drivingly connected to the agitator by the belt; a belt guard surrounding at least a portion of the agitator at an interface between the agitator and the belt, the belt guard partitioning the chamber into a first section and a second section, wherein the belt guard includes an aperture extending from the first section to the second section to permit air to flow from the first section to the second section.
 2. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the nozzle includes an upper portion and a lower portion coupled to the upper portion.
 3. The vacuum cleaner of claim 2, wherein the lower portion includes an elongate opening forming an inlet through which the airflow enters the nozzle.
 4. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the nozzle includes an outlet, and wherein the second section of the chamber is in communication with the outlet through the aperture.
 5. The vacuum cleaner of claim 4, wherein the outlet is adjacent the first section of the chamber.
 6. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the nozzle includes an outlet, and wherein the first section of the chamber is in communication with the outlet through the aperture.
 7. The vacuum cleaner of claim 2, wherein the belt guard includes a first portion supported by the upper portion of the nozzle and a second portion supported by the lower portion of the nozzle.
 8. The vacuum cleaner of claim 7, wherein the first portion of the belt guard is integrally formed as a single piece with the upper portion of the nozzle.
 9. The vacuum cleaner of claim 7, wherein the second portion of the belt guard is integrally formed as a single piece with the lower portion of the nozzle.
 10. The vacuum cleaner of claim 7, wherein the aperture extends through the second portion of the belt guard.
 11. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the belt guard includes a first wall and a second wall spaced from the first wall, and wherein the belt is positioned between the first wall and the second wall.
 12. The vacuum cleaner of claim 11, wherein the aperture extends through the first wall and the second wall.
 13. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the first section has a width greater than half the width of the nozzle, and the second section has a width less than half the width of the nozzle.
 14. The vacuum cleaner of claim 13, wherein the first section has a width greater than or equal to two-thirds the width of the nozzle, and the second section has a width less than or equal to one-third the width of the nozzle.
 15. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the drive member is an electric motor.
 16. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the suction source is a fan assembly driven by the drive member.
 17. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, further comprising a pulley coupled to the drive member, wherein the belt extends between the pulley and the agitator.
 18. The vacuum cleaner of claim 17, wherein the belt is a first belt, and wherein the vacuum cleaner further comprises a second belt extending between the drive member and the pulley.
 19. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, further comprising a base assembly on which the nozzle is located; a handle assembly pivotally coupled to the base assembly; and a separator supported by the handle assembly.
 20. The vacuum cleaner of claim 19, wherein the separator is a multi-stage cyclonic separator. 